


Mutation

by anonymousComrade



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Flying, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-06
Updated: 2011-07-06
Packaged: 2017-10-21 02:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/220010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousComrade/pseuds/anonymousComrade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>She's a little awestruck when she first finds it, and not just a little concerned at its presence. It's pretty big, taking up the entirety of the corner of the room. It could easily house a troll. Most telling of all, she can smell faint traces of candy red over certain parts of the structure.</i></p><p><i>He has to be here.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Mutation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [demonoflight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonoflight/gifts).



> Inspired by DoL's prompt: _Karkat mentioned in the latest update that everyone got to fly but him. And that made me sad. But it also gave me an idea: what if Karkat grew a pair of wings? Summoner-style. How is he going to react? How is everyone else going to react? And let that troll boy have the best first flight of his life._
> 
>  _No shipping necessary, but I like Karkat/Terezi and Karkat♦Kanaya ~~and Karkat/being best friends with everyone a bunch~~ and throwing those in would be a huge bonus._
> 
>  _Brownie points if Karkat takes Terezi for a ride._
> 
> I guess the setting is post-Scratch, and they're all hiding in the Veil waiting for the reset session to begin? I don't know, I didn't think about it too hard, and it's not extremely relevant in any case.

She's a little awestruck when she first finds it, and not just a little concerned at its presence. It's pretty big, taking up the entirety of the corner of the room. It could easily house a troll. Most telling of all, she can smell faint traces of candy red over certain parts of the structure.

He has to be here.

CGC RIGHT NOW opened memo on board FRUITY RUMPUS ASSHOLE FACTORY.

CGC: GUYS  
CGC: 1 TH1NK 1 FOUND H1M  
CGC: 1TS SO W31RD  
CURRENT ectoBiologist [CEB] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.  
CEB: what's wrong, terezi?  
CGC: W3LL 1 D1DNT F1ND *H1M* 3X4CTLY  
CGC: BUT  
CGC: 1 KNOW WH3R3 H3 1S  
CGC: 1 TH1NK >:?  
CURRENT grimAuxiliatrix [CGA] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.  
CGA: You Are Uncertain  
CGA: ?  
CGA: This Is Somewhat Disconcerting  
CGC: 1 DONT TH1NK H3S HURT OR 4NYTH1NG  
CGC: BUT 1TS SO STR4NG3  
CURRENT tentacleTherapist [CTT] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.  
CTT: At least we know he's safe, then.  
CTT: What is "strange" about it?  
CGC: 1 FOUND TH1S B1G  
CGC: 1 DONT KNOW WH4T TO C4LL 1T, 4 COCOON? M4YB3?  
CGC: H3 H4S TO B3 H3R3, 1 JUST KNOW 1T  
CGC: TH1S D3F1N1T3LY 3XPL41NS TH3 P4P3R SHORT4G3 THOUGH, H4H4H4  
CURRENT turntechGodhead [CTG] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.  
CTG: so pop that shiv of yours and carve that sucker like an easter ham  
CTG: lets free our boy from his shitty paper mache prison and make a getaway  
CTG: sirens blaring  
CTG: helicopters flying around and patrol cars ramming us all over vice city cuz weve got a five star warning level  
CTG: quick pull into pay n spray theyll never recognize us even though they saw us drive in  
CURRENT gardenGnostic [CGG] RIGHT NOW responded to memo.  
CGG: no dont!!!!!!!!  
CGG: if its really a cocoon and karkat is really in there then opening it before he is ready could kill him!  
CGG: or maybe not, i dont know if troll cocoons are anything like butterfly cocoons  
CGG: but hes in there for a reason!!! so i think we should just let him do what he needs to do in there and come out when hes ready  
CTG: on second thought rez maybe dont cut him open  
CTG: if karkat comes out of there sporting wings and a curly proboscis then i dont wanna miss it  
CTG: all flitting around looking for a flower to drink nectar from  
CTG: all "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU FUCKSHITS LOOKING AT, SOMEONE GET ME A GODDAMN FLOWER"  
CTG: were there even flowers on alternia  
CGC: 4LT3RN14N FLOW3RS W3R3 S3V3N F33T T4LL, W31GH3D F1V3 HUNDR3D POUNDS 4ND COULD TR4P 4ND COMPL3T3LY D1G3ST 4N UNSUSP3CT1NG TROLL 1NS1D3 OF 4N HOUR  
CTG: bitchin  
CGA: I Suppose There Is Nothing More To Do Than To Wait It Out Then  
CTT: Pardon me if this seems rude, but is this a common thing for trolls?  
CTT: Kanaya has taught me a little about troll life cycles, but I thought pupation occured much earlier in life?  
CGC: NORM4LLY Y3S  
CGC: 4 S3COND PUP4T1ON 1S 1N 4 LOT OF OUR STOR13S 4ND L3G3NDS BUT 1V3 N3V3R H34RD OF 1T H4PP3N1NG TO 4NYON3 FOR R34L  
CGC: 1 TH1NK 1M GO1NG TO S3T UP H3R3 GUYS, 1 W4NT TO KNOW WH4T H4PP3N3D TO K4RKL3S TH3 S3COND H3 COM3S OUT! >:]  
CGA: I May Join You  
CGA: After All What If Karkat Requires Assistance Upon Emerging  
CGA: ?  
FUTURE carcinoGeneticist [FCG] 40 HOURS FROM NOW responded to memo.  
FCG: I WON'T.  
FCG: EVERYONE OUT.  
FCG banned ALL CURRENT USERS from memo.  
FUTURE turntechGodhead [FTG] 58 HOURS FROM NOW responded to memo.  
FTG: ahahahahahaha oh man if only we'd known how right on the fucking money we were about the butterfly thing you guys  
FTG: jade and i fucking called it  
FTG: christ im dyin here  
FCG: FUCKING  
FCG banned FTG from memo.  
[FCG] ceased responding to memo.

\----------

Nobody has seen Karkat in person for a week now, and he's been silent on Trollian for four days. His last message to anyone was sent to Terezi, and was as follows:

CG: I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING TO ME.  
CG: FIRST THE EATING, THEN THE HOARDING, NOW THIS...  
CG: SOMETHING IN MY HEAD IS DRIVING ME TO BUILD THIS SHITTY THING, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AFTER IT GETS BUILT.  
CG: I'M  
CG: I'M A LITTLE SCARED, TEREZI. THERE, I FUCKING SAID IT.  
CG: IT'S ALMOST FINISHED NOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS IS GOING TO TAKE, OR WHAT I'M GOING TO BE ONCE IT'S OVER.  
CG: I HOPE YOU ALL CAN STILL STAND TO LOOK AT ME AFTERWARD.  
CG: GOODBYE, TEREZI. SEE YOU SOON. I HOPE.

She tries to play it off to the others, like she's not really that worried about him but there's no sense in letting him accidentally hurt himself. Maybe she fools John and Jade, and maybe Rose, because she doesn't know her that well, but Dave sees right through it, and so do the other surviving trolls. Terezi is actually a bit relieved when it is John who proposes the idea of a search and rescue.

Of course, in reality, Terezi is worried sick about Karkat, and she's glad she's the one who finds his cocoon first.

\----------

So Terezi waits. For almost two days, she spends most of her free time by Karkat's cocoon. Everyone stops by to see it at some point, and the humans are particularly fascinated by it, having never heard of anything like it on their own homeworld. Sometimes she draws on it (there are more than a few renditions of Karkat with various styles of bright red wings scrawled on various parts of the cocoon; the largest and most detailed depicts him holding hands with a red-eyed, teal-winged figure). Sometimes she talks to it ("Hey Karkat, when you hatch, you have to take me flying sometime, okay? Hehehehe.").

Sometimes, she presses a hand to it.

Sometimes, something presses back from within.

She doesn't actually believe he's conscious enough during the process to respond, but... she likes to imagine he might be.

\----------

Terezi isn't awake when it happens; she dozed off an hour ago, leaning against the wall. The cocoon begins to stir, something inside it is definitely moving, thrashing, making a bid for escape. The outer surface of it bends outward, and again. The third time, a grey fist punches through the shell, and is quickly withdrawn before it breaches another weak point in the hull. Two hands pull at the newly-made holes in the papery cocoon and rend it apart, creating a tear big enough for him to step through.

The effort has exhausted him, when added to the rigors of metamorphosis. He falls to a knee to catch his breath. Finally, after minutes of silence, he speaks.

"...the hell did I leave my clothes?"

A moment of consideration, and he remembers where he stashed his garments. But something's not right. His old grey pants barely fit anymore. _Well, I'll just have to alchemize new ones soon, no big deal,_ he thinks to himself.

He tries to put his old shirt back on, but a surge of pain wracks his back when the fabric makes contact with... something. He proceeds to the washrooms to check this mysterious new growth in the mirrors and is horrified at what he finds: wings. Fucking _wings._ Bright red, tiny, wet, shrivilled, useless, piece-of-shit wings that hurt like hell if anything so much as brushes against them. _Or fucking grabs them with both hands ow shit fuckfuckFUCKFUCK_

He slaps away the offending hands and starts screaming, "What the hell?! Keep your fucking hands to yourself, goddamnit!"

"Jegus, what's the matter, Karkat? I think they're nice." He sighs; he must have woken her up as he made his exit.

"Of course _you_ would, you have a crippling addiction to the color red." Terezi smiles widely at him. "But they're horrible and useless and I hate them, and there's no fucking way you can tell _anyone_ about this."

"Karkat, how are you planning on keeping them a secret? People are going to find out."

"Like hell they are. I'm gonna get rid of 'em. Having mutant blood is bad enough, I don't need these things reminding everyone that I'm a freak."

She scowls at him. "You can't just chop them off, you idiot! Really, they're not nearly as bad as you seem to think they are, Karkles. I kind of like them!"

"Fuck that. As soon as I figure out a way to do it without killing myself or passing out from the pain every time they rub against so much as a slightly pointier-than-usual air molecule, they're gone."

She just frowns harder at him.

"Look at me, Terezi, I'm a fucking mutant! The goddamned sludge in my veins, these fucking worthless _deformities_ on my back... I'm half surprised I didn't come out of that thing with three eyes and a hoof. I'm sure as hell not keeping them just so you can overdose on red!"

"Fine! Be a retard and clip them, see if I care!" And with that, Terezi storms off.

 _That could have gone better,_ he thinks to himself.

\----------

One trip to the alchemiter later, he thinks he knows who can handle the situation best. He knocks on her door a couple times before getting a response.

"Who is it?"

"It's uh, it's me. Karkat."

The door practically _flies_ open. Kanaya is _beaming_. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Karkat! I'm glad to see you. Please, come in!" He shuts the door to her respiteblock behind him.

"My, you've grown a foot taller since the last time I saw you."

He is reluctant to say it, but she's going to ask him why he's not wearing a shirt sooner or later; might as well get it over with. "That's not all... look." He turns around and she gasps.

"Oh my... Karkat, those are amazing!"

"Amazingly stupid, maybe. They're not good for anything, I can't even move them, all they do is get in the way."

"Well, no wonder you came to see me, then!" _Maybe she gets it_ , he thinks.

"You must want a shirt you can wear with those. No problem, I'll get to work on that immediately." It takes every ounce of willpower he has to not slap himself in the forehead.

"Actually, Kanaya, I--"

"Oh, it's no trouble, I promise. This shouldn't take long, just wait right here." Before Karkat could protest, she had him measured out and she retreated back into her sewing area.

He follows her into the room; she's already stitching together pieces of fabric to make a new shirt for him. "Hey! No peeking until it's done, Karkat!"

"Actually, Kanaya--"

"I won't have you ruining the surprise. Out, out!"

She's impossible to argue with when she's like this, so he waits outside the door for Kanaya to finish. He can hear the sound of scissors clipping cloth, of her sewing maching stitching pieces together through the door. Fifteen minutes later, she walks out, garment in hand. Immediately, she urges him to try it on.

"Kanaya?"

"Yes, Karkat?"

"When have I ever worn short sleeves?"

"I doubt you even _own_ another short-sleeved shirt, Karkat. You should probably have at least one, for warmer weather."

"Alright, but... when have you ever seen me wear anything this color?"

"Oh Karkat, please! I think you'd look handsome in red if you'd just get over it!"

"Well, okay, but... wait, this isn't even why I'm here! Kanaya, I need your help."

"Of course! I imagine most of your wardrobe is rendered worthless by your sudden growth spurt, not to mention the wings--"

"No, it's not about clothes, but it is about the wings. I need you to take your chainsaw, and just cut these useless fuckers off."

She stares at him for a moment, expression of disbelief on her face, before erupting into laughter. "I get it, you're trying out human insincerity-based humor, too. Very nice job, Karkat, I very nearly believed you were serious about enlisting my aid in mutilating yourself!"

He laughs nervously along with her. He can't ask her to do this. "Ha ha, yeah, you got me."

"But I will get to work immediately on some new clothes for you. And if you really don't like the color of that shirt, I believe you can alchemize it with one of your old ones."

 _It really is a nice shirt_ , he thinks. It fits him nicely, and the two slits in the back accomodate his new wings perfectly.

"Karkat, I must say, this color suits you. You look rather dashing in red."

"Heh. Thanks. Want to, uh... grab a bite?"

"No, I just ate, but thanks for the invitation." Karkat blushes at that. Maybe one day he'll stop just paleflirting with Kanaya and make it official, but for now he's got a serious hunger.

\----------

Karkat passes by Sollux on the way to the kitchen. He thinks maybe he can just pass by without bringing up his sudden mutation, or the fact that he's almost a full head taller than almost everyone else now, until John steps out of a room and calls to him.

"Hey, Karkat! Didn't know you'd hatched yet! Good to see you again, buddy!" And of course, it catches Sollux's attention, too.

Sollux turns to John. "I thought that was KK, sounded like his footsteps. What's different about him?"

"Well, it looks like he grew about a foot and _holy shit, what are those?_ " John attempts to manuever around Karkat to get a look at his wings but Karkat turns around too quickly for him.

"They're wings, fuckass."

"That's _awesome!_ Can you fly?"

"Yeah. I can totally fly with these tiny wings that I can't even move. It's completely a blast and they're not the stupidest thing to ever happen to me, ever. Of _course_ I can't fly, you idiot."

"Aw, that sucks. Well, it's good to know you're okay after being missing for so long, at least!"

After John makes his exit, Karkat turns to Sollux. "'Sounded like my footsteps'?"

He replies, "KK, you have no idea how good my hearing is now that the dead aren't constantly screaming in my ear. Being blinded was the best thing to happen to me. I mean yeah, my psionics are weaker but the _relief_ of not having to deal with ghosts anymore is just so great."

"So you could tell it was me, just by listening?"

"I could tell it was you by your footsteps, that you were taller by how they were spaced out, and that you had _something_ growing out of your back from the way the air currents sound around you. I wasn't going to say anything because I was okay with all of that."

" _Goddamnit, Sollux._ "

\----------

Before Karkat goes to sleep, his husktop starts beeping. He opens Trollian to check his messages.

\-- grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] \--

GA: Hello Karkat  
GA: Sorry To Disturb You If Youve Already Gone To Sleep  
GA: I Have Finished Six Additional Shirts To Accomodate Your New Wings  
GA: A Few Of Them Are Even That Dull Gray Color You Seem So Fond Of  
CG: THANKS, KANAYA.  
GA: Ah There You Are  
GA: I Wasnt Expecting You To Still Be Awake  
GA: Would You Like Me To Deliver Your New Clothes Now Or Later  
GA: ?  
CG: I'LL PICK THEM UP TOMORROW. I OWE YOU ONE, KANAYA.  
GA: It Was No Trouble At All  
GA: So How Did Everyone Respond To Your Sudden Transformation  
GA: ?  
CG: ABOUT HOW YOU'D EXPECT. THE DERP TWINS THINK THEY'RE, AND I QUOTE, "awesome!" AND "soooo cool!!!! :O :O :O"  
CG: SOLLUX IS 0k WITH IT BECAUSE HE'S 0k WITH *EVERYTHING*.  
GA: What About Terezi If You Dont Mind My Asking  
GA: Feel Free To Not Answer If Im Prying But  
GA: I Presume You Spoke To Her Already  
GA: ?  
CG: YEAH, UH, ABOUT THAT.  
CG: WE KIND OF... HAD A FIGHT ABOUT IT.  
GA: I Must Admit I Am Somewhat  
GA: Unsurprised  
GA: That Your Initial Reaction To What Was Undoubtedly A Very Forward Approach Toward Your Hatching Would Be Beligerence  
GA: I Mean I Know How Invasive She Can Be Sometimes And How Blind She Is To It  
GA: I Swear That Was Not An Attempt At Humorous Wordplay There  
GA: But Taking Your History And Completely Obvious Red Feelings For Terezi Into Account  
GA: I Will Simply Respond With That Thing The Humans Do When They Wish To Convey A Stunned Silence Or Disapproval  
GA: Which Is The Following  
GA: ...  
CG: YEAH, I WAS KIND OF A BULGEHEAD, LOOKING BACK AT IT.  
CG: I TOLD HER I WASN'T GOING TO BE HER PERSONAL CANDY RED DRUG DEALER AND THAT I WAS GOING TO CUT THE DAMNED THINGS OFF.  
GA: Wait  
GA: You Mean To Say You Were Not Joking Earlier When You Asked Me To Remove Them With My Chainsaw  
GA: ?  
GA: Karkat You Are  
GA: I Cannot Even Think Of A Word To Describe It  
CG: A MISERABLE GRUBSUCKING SACK OF SHIT?  
GA: I Would Have Gone With "Incorrigible" But That Works  
GA: You Should Talk To Her Karkat  
CG: I KNOW, I KNOW.  
GA: I Mean She Spent Most Of Her Time Waiting By Your Cocoon While You Still Lied Within It  
GA: She Seemed Most Excited About Your Emergence Out Of Everyone  
GA: I Doubt She Cared As Much About Your Wings Being Bright Red As She Did That You Were Still Alive And Well  
GA: And This Is Just A Hunch But I Believe She Most Certainly Did Not Wish To See You Maim Yourself  
GA: !  
CG: GEE, THANKS KANAYA, AS IF I DIDN'T FEEL BAD ENOUGH ABOUT IT ALREADY.  
CG: I'VE GOTTA COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO MAKE IT UP TO HER.  
CG: FUCK, I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING WHEN I WAKE UP.  
CG: WAIT, WHY THE HELL DO YOU CARE SO MUCH?  
CG: ...AND WHY THE FUCK AM I TALKING TO YOU ABOUT ALL THIS??? I WOULD HAVE TOLD ANYONE ELSE SNOOPING AROUND ABOUT MY FLUSHED QUADRANT TO FUCK THEMSELVES BY NOW.  
GA: To The First  
GA: The Two Of You Are My Mutual Friends  
GA: And I Suppose I Simply Hope You Two Crazy Wrigglers Manage To Work Things Out  
GA: Thats All  
GA: To The Second  
GA: Dicussion of Quadrants Is Something Good Friends Do  
GA: A Shoulder To Lean On And An Ear To Listen I Believe Is The Human Expression  
GA: I Should Hope You Would Extend The Same To Me Should I Have Trouble In My Own Quadrants  
CG: WELL YEAH, WHAT KIND OF FRIEND WOULD I BE OTHERWISE?  
CG: ANYWAY  
CG: I'M GOING TO CATCH SOME SHUTEYE.  
CG: GOODNIGHT, KANAYA.  
GA: Goodnight Karkat

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] \--

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] \--

CG: ♦

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] \--

\----------

He's a bit surprised when he wakes up the next morning; mostly because he's feeling weightless, like gravity just doesn't apply to him anymore.

He opens his eyes and _holy shit_ , he's hovering about three feet above his recuperacoon. He only manages to stay in midair for a second before plummeting face-down into the slime. He comes up sputtering and spitting, and stops only when he realizes what just happened; he was _flying!_ Or, at least, floating. But how?

He checks the mirror in his respiteblock. The same shrivelled-up useless wings from yesterday still adorn his back, and he's not sure how these tiny conksuck wings managed to generate enough lift to pick him up off the ground. Unless...

Karkat tries flexing his back. Nothing much happens at first other than a few awkward shrugs of his shoulders, but it doesn't take him long to figure out how to make his wings move. But try as he might, even after he finally masters moving them independently, no matter how fast they go, he can't get off the ground.

He wonders if there's something he's missing. Maybe he needs some vertical velocity going before he can take off. He bends his knees to jump when he feels something stir in his back, like he's onto whatever helped him float in his sleep but not quite there yet.

On a hunch, he doubles himself over before quickly standing back up and arching his back, and then _it happens._ His wings unfurl, tall and proud. They've toughened up since yesterday, they feel a bit more leathery and _durable_ despite being translucent. He starts laughing in disbelief; this is _amazing_. The wings are huge now, easily dwarfing Vriska's. He tries flapping them once and yes, they are most definitely functional now.

He accidentally bumps his head against the ceiling and barely even cares. What a difference one night's sleep can make!

\----------

Karkat makes his way back to the location of his cocoon; it's still there, virtually undisturbed since he tore his way out of it. He didn't really expect Terezi to still be here, but he had hoped, and now he's a little disappointed. The sight of it starts to jog his memory, and he swears he remembers things Terezi said while he was still in it.

 _Wait, no, that's stupid, I was asleep the entire time,_ he thinks. _And yet..._

He thinks back to what Kanaya said as he notices the drawings he missed when he made his escape. Terezi really _was_ here the whole time, and the sketches are proof. And when he finally came out, he'd yelled at her and threatened to dismember himself.

 _Nice going, Vantas._

His eyes fall on one particular rendition of him, with great red wings as big as himself. He's holding hands with someone with an equally impressive teal wingspan, but the illustration is torn down the middle where the two figures' hands would meet. It's a scene lifted almost directly from his bad romance flicks, and he groans at the cliched symbolism in a way bordering on the meta.

Carefully, he cuts out the drawing with his sickle, leaving as much of it intact as possible. _No worries,_ he thinks, _some tape and it's good as fucking new._

Suddenly, an idea sizzles in his thinkpan. Yes, this is perfect! He'll have to practice a bit before he can execute it, but the plan itself is sound. He returns to his respiteblock to make preparations.

\----------

She recognizes the drawing on the card left on the door of her respiteblock; she drew it on Karkat's cocoon days ago. She unfolds it to find the other half, the art of her and Karkat in flight repaired with a liberal amount of clear tape. Terezi doesn't wonder who left it stuck to her door for long after reading the message written on the other side.

MEET ME ON THE ROOF,  
AS SOON AS YOU GET THIS.  
COME ALONE.  
LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN.

She makes the ascent and finds him sitting on the edge of the roof, feet hanging over the edge. Neither of them speak for a moment after she takes a seat next to him.

Karkat's arm instinctively goes to scratch the back of his head as he clumsily tries to apologize. "Hey, Terezi? Sorry for acting like a douche yesterday."

She takes a breath before replying. "It's okay."

He shakes his head. "No, it's really not. Kanaya told me how you waited for me." Terezi opens her mouth to speak, but words fail her, and her face turns ever so slightly teal. "I'm, I'm glad you were looking out for me, Terezi. Really, I am."

He offers his hand to her. She takes it and kisses his cheek.

"I wish you didn't hate yourself so much. You're a good person, Karkat."

He sighs and wraps an arm around her waist. She leans her head on his shoulder, and the two of them stare into the infinite blackness of paradox space.

"What a fucking view, huh?" She snorts at that, and that puts him at ease. More importantly, he takes it as the go-ahead for what he's going to do next. A sly smile crosses his face.

"Hey. Terezi."

"Yeah?"

"You trust me, right?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Because for about five seconds you're going to hate me for what I'm about to do."

She starts asking him what the hell he means by "you're going to hate me" but she's cut off by the sensation of falling. For a brief moment, terror strikes her mind as she plummets, but Karkat's grip is strong, his arms secure around her waist.

"Karkat, what's happening?"

"Something _awesome._ "

"Karkat, I don't think those little wings of yours can support both of us, if that's what you're thinking!"

He laughs before flexing his back. Her senses are overwhelmed with candy apple as their descent slows and they begin to ascend.

Her expression of horror turns into a huge grin almost instantaneously. "Are, are we...?"

"Flying? Yes. Yes, we fucking are! We're doing this, Terezi!"

"Hahahahahaha! Make it happen, Karkles!"

The feeling of natural flight is incredible. It's nothing like the sudden starts and stops of flight via jetpack or some other alchemy-produced tool, it flows _perfectly_. There's nothing else like it. It doesn't matter that there's nothing to look at in the Veil, the two of them are too busy enjoying the sensation of flight itself. Terezi spreads her arms wide so she can feel the wind against her and cackles madly at the feeling of it all. Karkat doesn't trust himself to pull off anything more advanced than high-speed gliding yet, but it doesn't matter. The feel of the wind blowing through his hair coupled with being this close to his matesprit is amazing.

"Karkat! This _rules!_ " He's grinning ear-to-ear now, because she's right, and this does, in fact, rule.

Maybe there are upsides to being a hideous red-blooded mutant after all.

\----------

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Dave emerges from the roof access stairwell.

"Hey, T-Z, you up here? I've got some ideas I wanna bounce off you for the next issue of Sweet Bro and..." He glances upward and loses his train of thought, because even from this distance, he can tell that's Karkat and Terezi up there. Flying. With Karkat's brand spankin' new butterfly wings.

Dave laughs to himself as he turns on his iShades and opens the FRUITY RUMPUS ASSHOLE FACTORY memo on Pesterchum. He and Jade fucking _called_ this, and there's no way he's not letting everyone else know it.

**Author's Note:**

> There were already two or three fills for this by the time I decided to take this one on, and they're so much better (seriously, it's not even a contest), but damn if the scenario didn't already start playing through my mind by the time I was even halfway through reading the prompt.
> 
> Also I further prove that I have no business writing Dave or Kanaya at all, I mean holy shit, look at this garbage
> 
> I don't know, I don't think I like this as much as other fics I've written. It reminds me of my older stuff, and I _loathe_ my older stuff. But maybe I'm wrong and it's actually decent, I'm kind of a shitty judge of quality when it comes to my own writing (I hate everything in case you haven't noticed)


End file.
